Published in Financial Times
By: Roman Olearchyk

Yulia Tymoshenko, the iron-willed Ukrainian politician, inched closer to becoming Kiev's next prime minister after a majority coalition was officially formed yesterday in parliament between her bloc and allies of Viktor Yushchenko, the pro-western president.

This marks an important victory for Ms Tymoshenko, who has struggled to muster support for a razor-thin co-alition backing her as premier. She is expected to support Mr Yushchenko's agenda speedily to integrate Ukraine with the west while using the premiership post as a springboard ahead of presidential elections.

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Published in BBC

Ukraine's pro-Western "Orange" parties have agreed after months of uncertainty to form a coalition - the first step towards a new government.

The coalition of parties led by Viktor Yushchenko and Yulia Tymoshenko - both leaders of the 2004 Orange Revolution - has a majority of just one seat.

Ms Tymoshenko is expected to become prime minister in the new government.

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Published in AFP

The two parties that led Ukraine's Orange Revolution on Thursday reached a deal on forming a governing coalition, setting the stage for pro-Western Yulia Tymoshenko to return as prime minister.

The parties of President Viktor Yushchenko and the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc signed an agreement on forming the new government, said interim parliament speaker Roman Zvarych.

"They just held a joint meeting during which they decided to create a coalition," he said.

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Published in Reuters
By: Yuri Kulikov

Parties associated with the 2004 pro-Western "Orange Revolution" formed a wafer-thin majority coalition in Ukraine's parliament on Thursday, the first step towards forming a government.

The coalition, with only a single vote to spare, is expected to be headed by former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, a leader of the protests that swept President Viktor Yushchenko to power.

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Published in Eurasia Daily Monitor
By: Pavel Korduban

Ukraine’s new parliament opened on November 23 only to adjourn until November 29, as the absence of a more or less stable majority left it incapacitated, making it impossible to elect parliamentary leaders and form standing committees.

This deadlock is due to serious differences within President Viktor Yushchenko’s Our Ukraine-People’s Self-Defense bloc (NUNS) over electing the speaker of parliament and the coalition accord with the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (BYuT).

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Published in Interfax
 
Viacheslav Kyrylenko has said as the chairman of the political council of the People's Union Our Ukraine Party that the possible failure of the creation of a coalition between the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko and the Our Ukraine-People's Self- Defense bloc, of which the party is the biggest element, would undermine the authority of the party and President Viktor Yuschenko in the eyes of voters.
 
Kyrylenko gave his opinion at a meeting of the political council of the party on Tuesday.
 
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Published in UNIAN

Some 33.3% of experts believe that a Coalition of Democratic Coalition will be formed in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine by the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko and Our Ukraine – People’s Self-Defense Bloc, and Yulia Tymoshenko will become the Prime Minister of Ukraine.

These are the data of an experts poll, carried out by “Sociopolis” NGO and the Agency for Modeling Situations. The data of the poll were publicized at a press conference in UNIAN today.

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Published in AFP

Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych submitted his resignation on Friday as a new parliament was sworn in and rival parties jostled to form a government after September elections.

Yanukovych formally gave up his powers at an inaugural parliament session in which all 450 new members of parliament were solemnly sworn in.

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Published in Reuters

Ukraine's new parliament opened on Friday amid doubts over whether parties linked to the pro- Western "Orange Revolution" can convert their slender election victory into a deal to govern the ex-Soviet state.

Both Yulia Tymoshenko, the revolution's fiery advocate, and outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich, the main loser in the 2004 upheaval, expressed confidence that they would be able to lead the new government.

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Published in Ukrayinska Pravda

All MPs of the newly-formed Our Ukraine-People’s Self-Defense Bloc (NU-NS) parliamentary faction approved the decision to sign an agreement on the democratic coalition, including those three objectors (Messrs. Plyushch, Kril and Petyovka).

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Published in International Herald Tribune / AP

Ukrainian lawmakers elected in a September vote aimed at ending persistent political turmoil met for the parliament's first session Friday, opening the way for a Cabinet to be formed in the ex-Soviet republic.

The two pro-Western parties that were central to the 2004 Orange Revolution won enough votes to muster a slim majority of 228 seats in the Verkhovna Rada, the 450-member parliament, and have pledged to form a governing coalition.

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Published in UNIAN

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine resigned to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of sixth convocation.

According to an UNIAN correspondent, Prime Minister of Ukraine Victor Yanukovych claimed this at the first session of the newly elected Verkhovna Rada.

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Published in UNIAN

All members of the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc will support the candidacy of Our Ukraine – People’s Self Defence bloc`s political council chairman Vyacheslav Kyrylenko for the post of the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of 6th convocation.

According to an UNIAN correspondent, BYuT leader Yulia Tymoshenko said this in an interview to journalists today.

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Published in UNIAN

Newly elected members of the Ukrainian parliament are gathering for the opening ceremony of the first session of Verkhovna Rada of VI convocation.

According to an UNIAN correspondent, representatives of Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc are dressed in white sweaters, white shirt, and red ties. On the left side of their sweaters there is a red heart, the symbol of BYuT.

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Published in Ukrayinska Pravda

Yulia Tymoshenko, the leader of Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (BYuT), was elected as a head of the relevant faction in the parliament.

The faction session voted for the decision unanimously on Thursday, LigaBusinessInform news agency with references to BYuT sources reports.

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Sources: BBC & NTN

All members of the propresidential Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defence (OUPSD) bloc have agreed to form a majority coalition with the Bloc of Yuliya Tymoshenko (BYuT) tomorrow, OUPSD leader Yuriy Lutsenko told journalists after his faction's meeting with President Viktor Yushchenko on 22 November.

Ukraine's NTN television showed him making the announcement on the eve of the opening of parliament, which is due to hold its first meeting on 23 November.

"All 72 deputies elected on the Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defence list are signing the obligation to join the faction and form the coalition of democratic forces consisting of Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defence bloc and BYuT. In addition, the coalition is open and if the Lytvyn Bloc is willing, it can also start forming this democratic majority," Lutsenko was shown saying.

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Source BYuT & UNIAN

Celebrating the third anniversary of the Orange revolution – the Freedom Day event will take place at Sofiyivska square on Nov 22, 2007 at 2 p.m.

The action organizer is the All-Ukraine Youth Social Organization “Youth Union Our Ukraine”.

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Published in Ukrayinska Pravda

Mykola Tomenko, the member of Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (BYuT), believes in a situational election of the Verkhovna Rada speaker before a coalition is formed. However, he considers such scenario to be disrespectful to the voter and does not intend to support it.

He stated this at his interview to BBC News.

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Published in Inform issue #54
See the full issue here.

A consensus was reached by Ukraine’s parliamentary working group to hold the first sitting of the sixth convocation of the Verkhovna Rada on 23 November.

After a disunity in the parliamentary working group that left even hardened Ukraine watchers scratching their heads, the deadlock over who should chair the group was finally broken when Raisa Bohatyriova of the Party of Regions and Roman Zvarych of the Our Ukraine - People's Self-Defence (OU-PSD) Bloc were elected as chairperson and deputy respectively. With this procedure squared away, the date of 23 November was soon agreed by representatives of the five parties that successfully breached the three percent of the vote barrier needed to enter the
450-seat parliament.

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Published in The Parliament

Ukraine is ready to put its recent political turmoil behind it and join the EU. That was the message from Edilberto Segura, one of the country's top economists, to a meeting in Brussels.

Speaking on Thursday, the former World Bank official said, “EU membership will come – it is only a matter of time.”

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Published in ForUm

On November 23 BYuT and “OU-PSD” bloc will conclude agreement on formation of democratic coalition legally. One of the “Our Ukraine-People’s Self-Defense” bloc leaders Vyacheslav Kyrylenko said that today, the ForUm’s correspondent informs.

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Published in Kyiv Post OP-ED

Three weeks after winning his country’s parliamentary elections, Poland’s Donald Tusk put together a coalition after he was nominated as the nation’s next prime minister by his defeated rival, Lech Kaczynski.

Meanwhile, Denmark’s ruling coalition was re-elected in its Nov. 14 election, and the slim, one-seat advantage that it won did not appear to threaten the coalition’s majority.

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Published in Kyiv Post OP-ED
By: Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski

The Ukrainian people should be congratulated for the political maturity they once again showed in the recent elections. They can truly be proud, because they are part of the universal political culture of democracy; namely, being able to agree to disagree and debate fiercely within an enduring constitutional process.

In fact, Ukraine should not hesitate to say to its younger brother, Russia, that it should learn from Ukrainian political culture.

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Member of the working group from the Party of Regions Vasyl Kyselyov doesn’t exclude that the first session of the Verkhovna Rada of the sixth convocation will take place on November 23. He has told journalists in an interview in the CEC.

“I hope the first session will be on November 23,” Kyselyov

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Published by ukaineanalysis
By: David Marples

The 2007 parliamentary elections in Ukraine saw sweeping gains by the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (YTB), but the Regions Party of Ukraine maintained its standing as the largest and most popular party bloc. Overall, the Party of Regions won just over 8 million votes or 34.37% of the total. The Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko was in second place with 7.16 million votes or 30.71%, and the Our Ukraine-People’s Self-Defense (NUNS) alliance placed third with 3.3 million votes, or 14.15%. Only two other parties crossed the 3% threshold needed for seats in the assembly: the Communist Party of Ukraine (1.25 million, 5.39%), and the Bloc Volodymyr Lytvyn (924,538, 3.96%).

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Published in ForUm

BYuT leader Yulia Tymoshenko considers that the Party of Regions will continue to bloc sitting of the working group on preparation for the first session of the parliament of the sixth convocation without solving the key questions which worry the society today. The BYuT leader Yulia Tymoshenko said in an interview with journalists, ForUm’s correspondent reports

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Published in UNIAN

BYuT front-runner Yulia Tymoshenko claims that the first session of the Verkhovna Rada of sixth convocation will open no later than November 26.

According to an UNIAN correspondent, the BYuT leader claimed this to journalists today.

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Published in Forum

Any politician and even any respectful person does not influence everything in the country. That’s why we must find understanding and dialogue. As to the influence, ratings of people must be made by their deeds and achieved results. BYuT leader Yulia Tymoshenko said that on Sunday in an interview to Inter channel, commenting on rating of “Focus” magazine, according to which she was recognized the most influential woman in Ukraine.

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Published in Inform issue #53
See the full issue here.

According to Ukraine’s Economics Ministry, talks with the Republic of Vietnam over Ukraine’s accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) have been concluded, leaving only Kyrgyzstan barring the way to Ukraine joining the global body that is responsible for more than 90 percent of the world’s international trade. But progress to joining this club of 151 top trading nations has been painfully slow. Questions remain why Ukraine has dragged its feet and who has gained from the sloth-paced passage of legislation?

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Published in Eurasia Daily Monitor
By: Taras Kuzio

Friday, November 2, was the last day that the Our Ukraine-People’s Self Defense (NUNS) bloc could collect signatures to support a “democratic” (orange) coalition with the Yulia Tymoshenko bloc (BYuT). BYuT deputies have openly expressed their fear that disunity in NUNS will lead to an unstable orange coalition and a political crisis in 2008.

By last Friday, 69 of the 72 NUNS deputies had signed. The fact that three deputies have not signed is significant. As the orange coalition only has a slim majority of 228 deputies (156 BYuT + 72 NUNS) in the 450-seat Rada, a parliamentary motion for Tymoshenko to become prime minister would fail if the trio sat out.

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Published in UNIAN
By: Tammy Lynch

More than one month since Ukraine’s parliamentary election, the country remains in leadership limbo, as negotiations over a new government drag on. While a government coalition including the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT) and President Viktor Yushchenko`s Our Ukraine-People`s Self-Defense Bloc (OU-PSD) has seemed likely since preliminary results were released, the lengthy negotiations suggest that this is not a done deal.   Some within OU-PSD instead are encouraging a coalition with the party of the current Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.
 
The sluggish pace of the new government’s formation has led to frustration not only among Ukraine’s voters, but also among international investors and officials who must wait to finalize meetings, agreements, and future plans.  It is difficult, after all, to negotiate over things like WTO membership, visa protocols, future gas deals, and implementation of EU cooperation accords when there is no final word on who will be in charge next month.

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Published in UNIAN materials

35% of Ukrainians want to see Yulia Tymoshenko the leader of BYuT on position of Prime Minister of Ukraine.

Such result was shown by questioning, conducted in period from 18 to October, 28, 2007 by LTD “Fond Gromads’ka Dumka-Ukraina” «Fund public opinion-Ukraine».

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Published in Kyiv Post
By: Jed Sunden

Of all the different planks of Yulia Tymoshenko’s campaign platform, the issue of military reform, most notably getting rid of the draft, is the one that is most likely to have the biggest effect on Ukrainians’ lives.

Simply put, if she is successful in ending the forced conscription of young men into the Ukrainian army, Yulia will have liberated 50,000 men a year from a one-year term, sentenced for the simple crime of being Ukrainian.

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